


Day 2: Item

by TinaCentury



Series: Much, Much More than a Moment [2]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, MamoUsa Week, MamoUsa Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 23:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19344682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinaCentury/pseuds/TinaCentury
Summary: Hi everyone! First, thanks to everyone who left such sweet reviews yesterday. Really, I love hearing your thoughts, so THANK YOU.The prompt for today is technically Memory, but I don't have that ready yet, so instead, here is what is technically Day 3: Item. Sorry to be a rulebreaker :). This one takes place in and around Episode 91, you know, the one with all the cats and the old house and Usagi not being able to transform.Special thanks to FloraOne for the last minute beta! Also, special congrats to FloraOne for being an absolute academic badass and crushing her thesis defense. Go congratulate our fairy godmother, guys :).





	Day 2: Item

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! First, thanks to everyone who left such sweet reviews yesterday. Really, I love hearing your thoughts, so THANK YOU. 
> 
> The prompt for today is technically Memory, but I don't have that ready yet, so instead, here is what is technically Day 3: Item. Sorry to be a rulebreaker :). This one takes place in and around Episode 91, you know, the one with all the cats and the old house and Usagi not being able to transform.
> 
> Special thanks to FloraOne for the last minute beta! Also, special congrats to FloraOne for being an absolute academic badass and crushing her thesis defense. Go congratulate our fairy godmother, guys :).

It might have bothered another man.

The sheer magnitude of Usagi's power—that extraordinary, dazzling power that could destroy youma in the blink of an eye and heal even the most hardened of hearts—might have made another man feel threatened and inferior.

But it didn't bother Mamoru.

In fact, he rather enjoyed being in near-constant awe of the what the woman he loved could do. It was part of what drew him to her. There was no one more suited to wielding that power than Usagi, with her selflessness and enthusiasm and all-around  _goodness_ , and Mamoru was more than happy to be there as her rock and support.

He didn't want that kind of power.

Until it came to protecting her.

When she had called and asked to meet him in the park that morning, he hadn't had anything helpful to say. She couldn't transform, and that  _terrified_ him. Because he knew her, and he knew that not being able to transform wasn't going to stop her from trying to fight.

And he knew that they couldn't win without Sailor Moon.

But since he was shit with comforting words, and didn't want to show her his fears, he had instead lightened his tone and grabbed her hand and taken her to that old abandoned house with all the cats, hoping their squeaky meows and playful purrs and soft fur would distract her.

It certainly wasn't a solution, but at least it had cheered her up for the moment.

His jaw tense with worry, Mamoru reached into his pocket for his phone as he approached his apartment building, scrolling through his texts until he found Minako's number.

_We need to talk about Usagi._

It had taken a while for the two of them to get to this point of freely being able to text each other. In their past lives, Venus had been exceedingly protective of Princess Serenity, and somewhat apprehensive about Prince Endymion. That apprehension had transferred to Minako's treatment of Mamoru, and she had kept him at arm's length as a result.

For his part, Mamoru had never been good at making friends, especially with people he thought he had nothing in common with, so he had kept his distance in return.

But now, countless senshi meetings and battles later, they had developed a mutual respect for each other. As leader of the senshi and Usagi's sworn protector, respectively, they both felt a special responsibility toward her.

His phone buzzed immediately with Minako's response.

_I know. We're with her now. She's trying to get us all to adopt some cats. Props to you on finding her a project to distract her with. Anyway, I'll come by later tonight and we can figure out a plan._

_Ok._

Mamoru slipped his phone back into his pocket, pulling out his keys at the same time.

Then, the pain came.

It wasn't the faint tingle at the base of his spine that normally signaled Sailor Moon's transformation.

Instead, it rivaled what Mamoru had felt in his earliest days as Tuxedo Mask—a sharp, all-encompassing spasm that gnawed at his skull and nearly brought him to his knees in his apartment hallway.

Sailor Moon was in trouble.

No,  _Usagi_  was in trouble.

The realization made his stomach flip in terror, and he couldn't help the strangled cry that flew from his mouth as he clawed at the lock with his key, hands shaking, and wrenched his door open.

He threw down his bag down in the genkan at the same time he pulled a rose from thin air, and within seconds, Tuxedo Mask had launched himself from Mamoru Chiba's balcony to the roof of the building next door.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask didn't have time to think.

He immediately hurled a rose at the cat-like youma that had its tail twisted around Usagi's neck, letting out a whoosh of relief as the youma's tail exploded into pieces and Usagi gratefully gulped for air.

His heart pounded in his ears as he jumped down from the window to Usagi's side, dimly registering that the rest of the senshi were injured and out of commission.

It was up to him.

It was up to him and his stupid flowers and campy speeches to defeat one of the most powerful youma they had ever faced.

His eyes moved to Usagi.

A thin sheen of sweat broke out on his face, plastering his hair to his forehead. She was still frightened, he could tell, but her eyes told him something else. She was relieved.

She thought he could do this.

Mamoru had never wanted Sailor Moon's power before.

But he wanted it now.

The youma lunged in their direction, and Mamoru moved as if on autopilot, blood pumping furiously through his veins.

_Protect her._

He threw his cane out and grunted as it made contact with the youma, lodging into her stomach and pinning her against the wall. She stood immobilized, and, for a brief moment, Mamoru thought he had actually succeeded.

But he knew it couldn't be that easy.

He watched in horror as the cat-like creature licked her lips and split his weapon into pieces with a loud crack that echoed throughout the old house. She flung it across the tiles as if it were a toy and charged toward them again.

Usagi cried out behind him.

_Protect her._

Mamoru hissed in pain as the youma's claws slashed through his cape and pierced his back. His hat and mask had fallen off underneath the impact, and his eyes flew to Usagi, scanning her for injuries and finding none.

_She's ok._

_Protect her._

"Run, Usako!" he pleaded, his voice faltering, blood beginning to soak through his crisp white shirt. He conjured another rose and positioned it between his fingertips before taking aim. If he couldn't defeat this monster, he could at least distract it until Usagi was safe.

But she she knelt down next to him, her hand clutching his thigh as he trembled and gasped at the searing pain in his back, his eyes still focused on their opponent.

"I can't do that!"

"Hurry," he bit out. "Run."

"No! I want to protect everyone…" her voice cracked, eyes shimmering with tears. "And that includes you…Mamo-chan. I'm going to fight together with everyone!" She desperately grasped his gloved hand in both of hers.

This girl. This  _beautiful_ ,  _selfless_ ,  _infuriating_  girl.

She wasn't going to leave.

_I can't protect her._

The thought destroyed him. After everything they had been through, all the sacrifices she had made, this was where it was going to end. With him failing her.

A choked sob escaped his lips.

But then, she squeezed his hands in hers and he met her gaze.  _Trust me_ , it said.  _Trust us._

And he did.

His face wet with tears, he concentrated on the overwhelming love he felt for the girl in front of him. The curious, giggling, irresistible princess who had absconded to his home so many centuries ago and escaped with his heart. The loud, ebullient, enthusiastic schoolgirl who he couldn't help but tease to the point of righteous indignation just so she would plant all her attention on him. The courageous, selfless, softhearted warrior who consistently took his breath away with each battle she fought.

His eyes fluttering shut, Mamoru tried to channel all the power he wasn't even sure he had into the hands that gripped his. He concentrated on the bits of faint magic he felt whenever he transformed into Tuxedo Mask, whenever he conjured a rose out of nowhere or inexplicably knew exactly where to find Sailor Moon. He could almost see it, little slivers of gold that fizzed and crackled with electricity and ran through his bones and into his fingertips, intertwining with the slivers of bright silver that shot forth from hers.

And then, all at once, a dazzling light burst forth from their clasped hands.

* * *

"Mamo-chan." Sailor Moon's tone was hushed as she held out the newly-formed Spiral Heart Moon Rod to him. The rest of the senshi had politely excused themselves, telling Usagi they'd meet her outside later, leaving the two of them alone.

Tuxedo Mask gingerly lifted the offered item in his gloved hand and stared at it in awe. He had never held one of her weapons before, never feeling like it was his place to.

_Formed from their combined powers_.

In one instant of unconditional trust, their powers,  _together_ , their love, had created a new tool for Sailor Moon to wield. Had breathed new life into the ginzuishou.

"We made this," he whispered, a faint blush staining his cheeks.

She nodded, a slow smile forming on her face. "We did."

He hadn't failed her. He had helped her win.

And that was all he ever wanted to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Another day done! And, a few more thank yous: to Kasienda, who, even though we agreed that neither of us would be able to beta for each other this week, has still been so supportive and reassuring and all-around awesome. And to QueenRisa and UglyGreenJacket, for similarly encouraging me this week!
> 
> Also, there is a ton of great fic being pumped out this week, i.e. fanfic Christmas. Go check it out on Tumblr under MamoUsaWeek 2019 and show everyone some love!


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